When Should We Give Guests Their Wedding Favors?

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Photo: Half Full Photography
 

While the discussion about whether or not wedding favors are worth the expense continues (we're huge fans of the edible variety!), many couples are still opting to give their guests a little something to thank them for joining them on their wedding day. Whether it's monogrammed, personalized, or a sweet treat, offering favors at your wedding adds one more thing to your to do list: Figure out when to give them to your guests! Our experts have a few ideas for the best ways and times to distribute wedding favors.

Wedding favors come in all shapes and sizes, and what you choose to give your guests will play a big role in when you should give them their gifts.

If your favor is edible and is something they should consume later (say, a bag of salty popcorn or warm cookies for the car ride home or a nip of vodka and Bloody Mary mix for the next morning), arrange the favors on a table near the exit of your wedding reception. Have your planner or a member of the venue's staff set out the favors once dancing has started so guests won't feel like they need to carry it around with them all night.

If it's a sealed food item that's easily personalized, like individual jars of your favorite local honey that you can embellish with a tag, consider using the jar as your escort or place cards. Write guests' names on one side of each tag, and table assignments on the other.


For favors that will be used during the wedding, hand them out whenever they fit into the timeline. Set out fans and handkerchiefs before the ceremony to keep guests cool and wipe away happy tears, and display personalized shades or flip flops near the dance floor to keep the party going.
If you want your guests to use your favors once they're at home (like candles in a scent that match your venue's location or seeds to plant your favorite blooms in their garden), a display by the exit is the perfect solution.